Halloween ... New Years Eve ... what do both of these holidays have in common with lil ol’ me???

I often celebrate them by seeing The Butthole Surfers play on stage.

(FYI, Halloween: 2009 at Stubbs in Austin, TX and 2010 at Scoots Inn in Austin, TX; NYE: 2008 at The Fillmore in San Francisco, CA and 2010 at the Williamsburg Music Hall in Brooklyn, NY.)

Little fact per Anal Obsession, a website dedicated to documenting Texas’ best band (http://www.jasonramke.com/bhs): The Butthole Surfers has done nine NYE shows to date. I've attended two, so far….

For me, NYE is a huge event. In my adult life, I've celebrated this event in a wide range of locales - from the typical stay-at-home celebration to the uber-exclusive (a penthouse overlooking Times Square) to the simply off-the-wall (a warehouse costume party). But, I have to admit, the New Years Eves I recall most fondly were the ones where I was fortunate to catch Los Buttholes.

This year was no different. After hearing unconfirmed rumors of there being a New Years Eve show in my backyard, I made plans to be available to not only see the band play, but to also play host to any one of my friends attending from out of town. In this case, my good friend and his girlfriend from the great state of Texas (birth state of The Butthole Surfers) took me up on that offer. When confirmation was given about the show (in this case two shows), tickets were purchased for the New Years Eve show for the three of us, and plans hatched for a "Girls Night Out" the date of the pre-NYE show (while the good friend attended the proceedings), and overall life was going to be peachy!

But then, a Boxing Day snowstorm hit, pummeling the NY/NJ/CT area with up to two and a half feet of snow forcing major roadways, airports and other forms of transportation to close (in some cases, hundreds of people were stranded at major hubs, or, in some NYers’ case, stuck in a subway car or worse for 7+ hours before being rescued!). At the airports this was on top of cancellations due to the snowstorms in EU, which forced the airport closures and the backlog of trans-Atlantic flights.

Frontman Gibby Haynes now resides in Brooklyn but fear of the other Surfers being unable to make their 2-day engagement due to the airport closures and catching up on flights were running rampage. On the Butthole Surfers forum, one Forumite questioned, in a thread announcing the roll call of various members attending the shows, if the band were going to be able to make the show. But, rest assured, as I noticed the concert venue empty out onto the streets later New Year’s Eve eve, from the vantage point of a quaint bar next door, I saw the smiles on the faces of the concert goers, and the answer was clear - YES, the Butthole Surfers were in town. “Yes,” I said to myself, tomorrow night is going to be EPIC!

New Years Eve came around, and I, dressed in an outfit containing so much glitter that one could follow a trail to my home, headed back to the same location I was at previous night, only this time to attend the show. Parking, of course, was a bit chaotic with the record amount of snow still covering the streets of Brooklyn. Finding parking was a test of creativity and feat. Upon arrival at the Williamsburg Music Hall, I saw one of my favorite members of the band, Mr. Paul Leary, fresh from a food run, outside the venue dressed in his winter finest. I was clearly impressed with his selection of hat and coat for one would assume that those in Austin wouldn't have to worry about even owning a winter wardrobe, but I was clearly wrong on that assumption! After a few words, he went into the venue to prepare for the evening and I lingered outside catching up with members from the infamous Butthole Surfer forum.

As I entered into the club, I was greeted by a who's who of individuals representing the various underground art, music and alt-model scenes of New York. We exchanged well-wishes for the New Year and a knowing smile that tonight's show was going to be something. NYE party favors were handed out by the venue staff, champagne was a-popping and served, and the atmosphere was full of electricity. As I looked overhead, I noticed a large net full of white balloons, assuming this was going to be part of a grand scheme of fun concocted by the band for later. :)

Around 11:15 pm, The Butthole Surfers hit the stage with the song ‘Sweat Loaf’ – guitarist Paul Leary and bassist Jeff Pinkus both high-kicking; King Coffey pounding away on his drumkit, sounding as if it was he and Teresa Taylor playing instead of just him; and Gibby Haynes ringleading: vocalizing and observing the chaos taking place in the mosh pit before him. Throughout the show, Gibby kept up a running commentary - from his observation about the crowd ("alot of good looking people") to his new life as a father ("Koala Bear Care - the changing table located at many bathrooms for parents needing to change their young ones - had Braille instructions."). During ‘Pittsburg to Lebanon’, Gibby shoved balloons up his shirt, even taking one giant balloon and placing it over his head.

Unexpectedly the key song for me was ‘Weber’ where Gibby stood back and observed the instrumental bouillabaisse being concocted between Paul Leary, King Coffey and Jeff Pinkus in extending a song (from the 1987 album Locust Abortion Technician) that is 35 seconds on vinyl to a good 2+ minutes.. The symphony these three men played during those precious minutes was something to experience, and that would change your appreciation for that particular song forever, IMHO.

Midnight came around with Gibby Haynes leading the countdown to the New Year. Balloons were dropped and people were kissing their loved ones or grabbing balloons to pop as ‘Dust Devil’ ushered in 2011. The video shenanigans playing in the band’s background displayed a variety of images from the grotesque and bloody to the outlandish (NY local legend Amanda LePore video footage was featured prominently during the hybrid performance of ‘Lady Sniff’/’Pepper’ and mixed in throughout the rest of the show). By the end of the show, all of my senses were tickled and teased. New Years Eve - a HUGE HIT thanks to The Butthole Surfers!